Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Hi,

I played the video twice and I'm struggling to understand the video. Tomo mentioned the 5th minor and 6th minor, how is it possible that the 5th degree in a major scale be minor? and what are we purpose to understand and practice in this video?

Tomo said something about C mixolydian, can we understand this video from F major perspective? Like, is he just playing 1, 4, 5 but in C mixolydian? So, the 1, 4, 5 in C mixolydian would be C7, Gmin7, Amin7

Thank you

Hi there. He’s only referring to the G as a minor triad which is 1 b3 5. It has the same notes as the c79 chord. The gmin triad is the b7th, 9th, and 5th of the c7 add9 chord. And the A as a minor triad which is the root, M3, and 6th of the C7 add 9 chord. I wouldn’t look at it as the key of F but I see your thinking. It’s all from the C chord, just thinking about it in intervals.

I see, but how is this useful? I feel like I am missing a piece of knowledge in order for me to fully understand this concept.

Yes, I do see the Gm is contained inside the C7(9) if you look at the Gm from a 1st inversion perspective, but you can also argue that it is ALSO a Bbmaj6 if you look at it from root position perspective.

But all in all, what is the insight are we suppose to understand? is the video about mixolydian scale? Also, how is the A as a minor triad fit inside the C7(9) if the A natural note is not contained inside the chord (the C7(9))

Thanks!

Here's my take on this.
He starts off from a C7 which builds from the Cmaj scale, R=C,3rd=E, flat 7th =Bflat [whereas a Cmaj 7 takes the natural B], 9th=D, 5th=G
Thinking of introducing different voicings for this C7(9) we note the 3 top notes are arranged as a first inversion of a G minor triad (3rd=Bflat, 5th=D, R=G) and that is also true when moving the top note to the 6th degree of the Cmaj scale. (we keep in mind that we are looking for voicings to C7(9) here).
Then we find that we obtain a range of voicings led by the top note by simply applying the 2nd inversion and root positions to those minor triads. This approach assumes that you have adopted and digested the positions of triads along the fretboards and therefore you thereby have one system that allows you to apply various voicings using your acquired knowledge of triads.

Of course, This particular example produces very familiar voicings heard times and times again such as in "Memphis Tennessee (Chuck Berry)" for instance, though I doubt Chuck ever thought about it in such depth. But I think one of the main points to take is that Tomo suggests a method by which you can easily apply various voicings on tops of chords forms such as the C7(9) here where part of it shapes in a triad form you are well familiar with.

Coupling the added vocabulary gained with the use of minor triad on the 5th and 6th degree with the additional four C dominant forms available that provides a total of 10 chords to play on a C9(7).

The usefulness of acquiring this range of vocabulary when playing on top of a 9th chord is in terms of improvisation.

I can see that v minor comes from the top notes of C7(9). Does the vi minor chord has any relevance to C7(9)?

I know that vi minor chord tones are already diatonic to C mixolydian.

The way I am hearing it is that it functions as a passing chord as we traverse the different inversions of the v minor down the neck, while preserving the tonal focus on C7(9).